The present invention relates in general to juvenile article securement devices, and, in particular, to a universal tether apparatus for releasably attaching juvenile articles to the clothing of an infant. These types of articles releasably restrain pacifiers, teething devices, rattle and toys, while the present invention is capable of restraining juvenile articles of the type having either a male post-type grasping/attachment element, and/or a female loop-type grasping/attachment element.
For many years, various means have been used to secure, or attach, juvenile articles to the clothing of an infant, so as to prevent the infant from losing the article, as well as to avoid the need for a parent or guardian to constantly "keep an eye" on the article which the infant is using, so that it does not become lost, forgotten, or non-hygienic. Three examples of such prior art securement devices are shown in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,075; Hooper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,968; and Huber, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,698--all of which disclose a flexible strap member which has one end releasably connected to a juvenile article, such as a pacifier, with another end of the strap being attached to a clip member which is to be secured to an infant's clothing. In Hooper, '968, the clip member comprises two separate and distinct pieces which require the first piece to be placed against the inside surface of the garment it is to be secured to, and a second piece which is to be positioned in aligned relationship with the first piece, on the outside surface of the garment. Once properly aligned, the two pieces are snapped together for securement therebetween. The strap is attached to the exposed, second piece of the clip member.
Although such prior art devices, such as that of Smith, Hooper, and/or Huber, address the securement of a "specific type" of juvenile article, such as those articles having loop-type grasping/attachment elements, or alternatively address securement of different types of articles through adjustable tether elements, they do not facilitate alternative attachment of the first end of the strap, or alternatively, the second end of the flexible strap to standardly shaped juvenile articles having either a loop-type or post-type grasping/attachment element, in secured alternative cooperation with a single clip attachment body.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a universal tether apparatus which facilitates interchangeability of either end of the flexible securement strap for operable cooperation with juvenile articles having either standardized loop-type or post-type grasping/attachment elements, while also facilitating interchangeability of the end of the strap not being used for attachment to the juvenile article for secured releasable attachment to the apparatus body.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a universal tether apparatus which includes a clip member/attachment body constructed from, and comprising, a single piece of material.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a universal tether apparatus which is easy to use and comfortable for an infant to where, and, which maintains the juvenile article in a usable, hygienic condition--while being substantially safe for the child's use, through avoidance of overly elastic "snap back" or dangerous piece-part "pin" constructions.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide a universal tether apparatus which is relatively easy to use and deploy, as well as relatively inexpensive to produce.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification and drawings.